US Open Fan Vote: Best Upset

By Arthur Kapetanakis / Thursday, December 13, 2018

At the conclusion of the 2018 US Open, we catalogued the best performances, moments and more from the fortnight that was. Now, as the year comes to a close, we are giving tennis fans a chance to vote for their favorites in six categories: quotes, photos, fan moments, breakout players, upsets and matches. This vote was conducted via Twitter over a 24-hour period; final results can be viewed at the bottom of this page.

With all the drama of college basketball's March Madness, the US Open trades hardwood for hard courts during two weeks of win-or-go-home tennis. This year's men's and women's singles draws had it all, from upstart underdogs to befallen blue chips, with a then-20-year-old Cinderella ultimately lifting the women's title. Which is your pick for best upset?

This upset-of-the-year candidate is also in the running for match of the tournament. Osaka, the often-shy 20-year-old, was perfectly comfortable in the spotlight of the women’s final, and she commanded proceedings in a 6-2, 6-4 victory to claim her first Grand Slam title.

It was a dream matchup for Osaka, against her childhood hero, and her inspired performance earned her a dream result.

All tennis fans remember the shock result, but the real story is in the details. Federer won a routine opening set, 6-3, and soon led, 5-3, in set two, as a quarterfinal showdown with Novak Djokovic looked certain.

That’s when a four-game run from Millman, in which he saved two set points on the Federer serve, electrified the New York night. Millman escaped a set point again in set three, and when he took the breaker, 9-7, mission impossible was suddenly within reach.

In sweltering conditions under the Arthur Ashe Stadium lights, the Federer Express stalled, as Millman sealed the first Top-10 victory of his career.

Kanepi made sure the first-ever match in the new Louis Armstrong Stadium was one to remember, as she blasted through the world No. 1 in straight sets, behind 26 winners. Less than three months removed from French Open glory, Halep became the first top-seeded woman to lose in the first round in New York.

The powerful Kanepi reached No. 15 in the WTA Rankings in 2012 but spent over two years outside the Top 100 after injuries and poor results saw her ranking briefly plummet to No. 630 in 2017. After bouncing back to reach her sixth career Slam quarterfinal at the US Open later that year, the 33-year-old was eliminated in first-round play at both the 2018 French Open and Wimbledon before returning to New York as the world No. 44.

Muchova, a No. 202-ranked qualifier, took some time to adjust to the bright lights of Louis Armstrong Stadium, as she fell behind, 5-0, to start the biggest match of her young career. But her all-court game began to blossom through a clever combination of net approaches and drop shots, and she stunned Muguruza, a two-time Grand Slam champion, in her main-draw major debut.

Muchova, 22, was competing in just her third career WTA Tour-level match.